Voting booth



March 12, 1929. BERG 1,704,689

VOTING BOOTH Filed Nov. 7, 1927 Patentedlt lar.12,t929. I T rates hillfifi re.

THEOPHIL H.13ERG, OF LINCOLN, NEIBB'ASKA,'ASSIGNQR ONE-HALF TO CHARLES R. i

' WILKE, 01E LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. i v

vorrne- Boo'rr-r.

Application filed November 7, 1927. Serial No. 231,614.

My invention relates to voting booths and their ends so as to embrace the brace 12 to one of its objects is the provision of a voting which they are pivotally secured. The part booth of simple construction and which may 15 is pivotally secured'at its lower end to a be easily set up or taken down by inexe clip 18 whichislixedto the post 11 on alevel 5 perienced laborers or others. I r r with the clips18. The part 16 is pivotally sei I Another of my objects is the provision of cured totheclip'19 which is slidable on the 1 parts which are standardized to a high depost 10.. The posts and 11 are still further gree, whereby the booth may be easily asbraced by means of the break joint brace consembled and easily set up and whereby the sisting of the two parts 20 and 21, the outer 10 cost of manufacture and assembly is reduced extremities of which'are pivotally connected 5 to a minimum. I I respectively to the posts 10 and 11. The An important object'of my invention is the inner-extremities of the parts 20 and 21 are provision of abooth which will comply with pivotally connected together and they are municipal and other regulations regarding provided with a notch and pinarrangement 15 voting booths. I v I I for latching the parts 'and 21 in their 7 Having in view'these objects and others straight line relation. Thebraces 12 and 16 which willbe pointed out in the following devare further provided with hooks" 22 for enscriptiom'I will now. refer to the drawings, gaging the parts 20-and 21 when in their eX-Lv i which tended relation.

20 'Figurel is a view in perspective of a vot- In Figure 2 is shown-the position of the 7 ing booth with one annex, parts of the canvas parts of the wall which they occupy in their walls being torn away to disclose the frame folded relation. It is obvious that by p'uui structure of the two stall booth. I I ing apart on the posts 10 and,11,theparts will II I Figure 2 is a View in elevation showing one assume the position as shown in Figure l, the f V of the walls of the booth in its folded posimovement being stopped when. the parts 20 ti n I I and 21 are in their extendedr'e'lation. It is I Figure 3 is a view in section through the also obvious that ifthe toggle connectionflbes upper. extremities of two posts showing the tween the parts 20'and 21 be broken, these b e parts will be released from the hookmembers 30 Figure t is a view in section through the 22 and the wall may be compressed by push 5' lower extremities of two adjacent posts .at ing togetherthe posts 10 and 11- to fold the the rear'of the booth. I I parts into theposition shown in Figur e 2; Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the The other'side wall .Of; the booth includes a under side of the shelf. f P 8 a 24: and connections which'are V I The first unit of the votin gbooth is prolidenticalwith those in the wall between the I added with rear and side-walls which are posts 10 and ll. The rearwall is supported similarto each other and with a'front cur between the posts 11 and 24 and itisprovided' tain. As shown in Figure 1, the end wall is with a bracing system which is similar to that I provided with a front post 10 and with a of the'side walls;- The braces 12 and 16 40 rear post 11, the two posts being joined toare identical with the braces 12 and 16 and gether by means of folding braces. The brace they are pivotally attached to their respective .12 extends diagonally from the lower portion'fposts in theisame manner. The rear wall, of the post 10 to the upper portion of the post however, omits the brace 2021 uniting the 11; It is secured to the post 10 by means of a posts but it includes a twopart brace'25 which .v

fixed clip 13 and to the post 11 by means of a is, pivotally secured at'its extremities to the" slidable clip 14, the brace 12 being pivotally braces 12'and-16' 'The brace 25 has a toggle connected at its'ends to the clips 13 andl. joint connection so thatit may be broken to Pivotally connected to the brace 12 is a crosspermit the posts 'l'l and 2 l"to be moved to-' brace consisting of twopartslij and 16 which! ward each other. I

are out of alignment with each other- The The unit of the voting booth as abovedee 105 parts 15 and .16 are connected to each other scribed has canvas side and rear-wallswhich, and to the brace 12 by means of a Z-shaped are secured to theposts'lO and 23., In the connection. This connection consists of two folding of the booth the canvas may be folded metal z shaped straps '17 which are secured. .so'asfto both form a compact bundle and, to Y on oppcsite sides of the'parts 15 and 1.6 at cushion the package. The'ttrent the booth,"

extremity of the post 10. 'the regulations require a door or front wall is braced by means of a brace 26 which is pivotally connected at one its ends to the upper extremity of the post 23 as shown in Figure'3 and which provided at its opposite extremity with a loop for engaging the upper i In places where for the booth a canvas wall may be secured to the brace 26 to depend therefrom.

The annex is providedwith only one side and a rear wall supported onthree posts. The rearposts 27 and 28 are braced in the same way that the posts 11 and 24: are braced. The posts 28 and 29 are provided with the same system of bracing used between the posts 10 and l1 or between the posts 23 and 24a The annex is positioned with the post 27 con tiguous to the post 24, the connection shown in' Figure at being employed to secure the posts 24 and 2'? in tiled posit-ion. The clip is pivotally connected to the post 27 at its extremity and it is provided with a loop which may be passed over-the extremity of the post i 2 1. ,It'will be notedin Figure 4 that the posts 2tand27v are slightly spaced to allow room for the clips lei and '18. At'their upper extremities theposts 29aud 23 re united and braced by means'of a link similar to the link The rear post 2? of the annex is also se- 26. cured to the front post 23 of the booth by means of a link 25 which is pivotally s cured to the post 27 and releasably latched to the post 23, the link being engaged by hooks projecting from the cross braces 01" the posts 23 and '24. In the annex'thc canvas lssecured a its edges to the posts2!- and 29 .to

form aback and one sidewall. p 7

Each stall of the voting booth is provided with a toldable shelf. As shown in Figure 5- thissheltt consists of two like parts 31 and 32 which are hingedly connected together by means of thehin es The tree ed e-of the part 31 is adjacent the rear wall 01 the;

stall and the part 3lis. provided at its iateral edges with engaging devices 34 for, fasten-v mg the shelfto the brace members 21 011 the opposite sides of the stall., At the forward corners of the part 32, engaging devices 35 are secured 'to the underside ofthepart 32 'to project outwardly therefrom and with downturned ends whereby the shelf may be secured at lts forward edge to the brace members 20. It should be noted tillftbtllQWldtllOf "the shelf member is such that they will fitsnugly Within the stall of the booth so that when theen a' 'in devices Set and 35 are seat ed over the edges or the brace members 20 and 21 the shelf will be held veryfirmly in" position. The brace member-s20 and 21 are each held firmly at three points so that theyconstitute a firm support for the shelf. 7

p The voting booth as abovedescribed is of extreme simpliclty in construction. It may circumstances.

be opened in a few seconds of time'since near- 1y all of the linkage movements are auto- 7 lHEltlC, it being only necessary to draw the posts apart and to latch them. When the booth'is to be taken down, it is just as quickly folded it then occupies a minimum amount of space so that 1t can readily be packed into a box of relatively small size. In

the full size booth which I have constructed,

the boothtogether with several annexes are packed in a boX which is so constructed that it may be opened to form a table at which the election clei'ks may work.

The material used depends, of course, on

The posts may be made 01 wood'or they may be made from sheet steel which has been bent into tubular form. For

the back and side walls as well as for the front curtain I prefer to use canvas. but where the regulations necessitate an all fire proof construction the canvas may be impregnated with fire resisting substances or an asbestos curtainmay be used n the place of the canvas.

Having thus described in "invention in such full, clear, and exact terms that its con} structlon and operation Wlll be read ly understood by others skilled in 'the art to which;

itjpertains, what I claim asiiow and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the, United Stilt-GS is: y

' 1. A voting booth comprising tour corner posts, crossed collapsible'brace's disposed between the posts at opposite sides and at the back of the booth and lying betweenthe face planes of the sides and back, means for anchoring the'lower ends of the braces to the lower ends'ot the posts, means for slidabl'y connecting the upper ends of the braces to the upper portions of the posts, break-joint bars 1 carried across the braces for holding the same extended when the booth is set up, and means for interlocking the crossing portions of the braces and bars when extended. a x

2. A two. compartment votingbooth, comrespective posts, break-joint bars secured across the braces for holding the sides and" backs ektendedwhen the booth is setup,

means for interlocking the crossing portions of the braces and bars when extended. and

means for detachably connecting the free corher post of the second back to one of the corner posts of the first backto utilize one side of the main compartmentas a'partition be tween the main and second compartments.

In testimony whereofl aifixmy signature.

THEQPHIL H. BERG. 

